At a press conference held at the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) on Monday 12 November, James Sale, representing Save the Children, said the EU could play a key role in the fight against pneumonia, which remains the “greatest killer of children in the world”.
This lung infection, which mainly affects older people in Europe, killed 880,000 children worldwide in 2016 and is expected to kill 11 million more by 2030, according to a study conducted by the NGO. This death toll is mainly caused by population growth, lack of adequate care and malnutrition, according to Save the Children.
“The poorest 5% of the population worldwide are 2 to 5 more likely to contract pneumonia than the rest of the population”, said Mr Sale, who advocates for a “global approach” in which the EU could be the spearhead.
"The EU needs to bring the private sector into the discussions around a more efficient global health system, in particular concerning data collection and vaccine production”, Mr Sale said. The pneumonia vaccine is effective, but too expensive, according to Save the Children.
“It would be more appropriate to direct private sector efforts towards countries with a fairly strong health system”, replied Jan Paehler of DEVCO, who nevertheless acknowledged the need to strengthen European commitment to the global health system.
According to Mr. Paehler, the United Nations Sustainable Development Programme to 2030 can provide an effective global response to childhood pneumonia. (Original version in French by Mathieu Solal)